UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van says that he disagrees with UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland’s pay dispute.
Strickland has not fought since UFC 328, when he defeated Khamzat Chimaev via split decision to win the middleweight title. He is currently embroiled in a pay dispute with the UFC, as he believes he should get paid more to defend his belt against Nassourdine Imavov, and he has taken to social media to be vocal about his pay concerns.
Joshua Van Speaks on Sean Strickland’s UFC Pay Dispute
Speaking to former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III on his podcast, Van said that he took umbrage at the way that Strickland has approached his pay dispute with the UFC.
“He signed a contract in May, then fought Khamzat and won…. Instead of going on Twitter (X) and going on and all that sh*t, he should have talked to Dana and said I want to renegotiate behind closed doors. Then the boss would have been like okay let’s talk about this. This is what you want, you beat the boogeyman. But now it’s a whole mess. If you work at a 9-5 job and you go off to your boss (in public) and say pay me this much, they are gonna be like WHAT THE F*ck? So now he is in a bad spot,” Van said.
“He signed a contract in May, then fought Khamzat and won…. Instead of going on Twitter (X) and going on and all that sh*t, he should have talked to Dana and said I want to renegotiate behind closed
Joshua Van Preparing for Next UFC Title Defense
Van is preparing for his next UFC flyweight title defense, which is likely going to come against top contender Manel Kape sometime in early 2027.
Van is coming off two straight successful title defenses at 125 lbs over both Tatsuro Taira, whom he knocked out at UFC 328, and Alexandre Pantoja, whom he beat by decision at UFC 331.
Just 25 years old, Van is already 11-1 in his UFC career and is one of the top-10 ranked pound-for-pound men’s fighters in the sport right now.
Should he get past Kape, it would once again cement Van as the best flyweight fighter in the world, though the oddsmakers surprisingly have the champion penciled in as the betting underdog for his third flyweight title defense going up against Kape.
Joshua Van Disagrees With Sean Strickland’s UFC Pay Dispute